A Montrose man was so surprised to see a French wine with the same name as his home town he started up a business to import bottles to Angus.
Until last year Graeme Hetherington (40) was living in Geneva while working for an oil company.
However, being a passionate wine drinker, he would make frequent trips across the border to France to sample the best vintages.
It was when he visited the Languedoc region that he spotted a sign for Domaine Montrose vineyard.
His days studying French at Montrose Academy stood him in good stead when he asked a waiter in a caf in Pezanas about the winery.
”He said it was only 4km outside the town and that it was open to visitors,” recalled Graeme.
”I thought it was an amazing coincidence so I visited the next day.
”The owner’s son, Oliver, showed me round the vineyard and let me sample a few of the offerings.
”The wines were astonishingly good and excellent value.”
When Graeme returned to Scotland last year, he knew people in Montrose would be keen to sample a few bottles as well.
He contacted the French wine producer again and found bottles were still affordable, even after shipping costs, duty and VAT.
Graeme, who now lives in Aberdeen, called his company Angus Wines to keep with the regional theme.
”It was the obvious name, as I am Angus born and bred,” he said. ”I even called my son Angus.
”I am selling four wines from Domaine Montrose and they have proved very popular.
”A case of 12, which can be any mix of the four wines, costs just £78. As well as the novelty of them being called Montrose, they are far better quality than what’s in the supermarket at the same price.”
To his delight, Montrose Football Club was one of his first customers, putting in a large order for their match-day hospitality ahead of Rangers Football Club playing at Links Park later this month.
The rose wine available won a silver medal in the prestigious Decanter magazine awards. The red wine is a cabernet syrah. The whites are a viognier and a classic unoaked chardonnay.
All the wines are typical of the region, where long, sunny growing seasons give the wine a great richness.
Graeme has since investigated whether more vineyards in France carry the Montrose name and found two of the most celebrated Bordeaux wines, Chateau Montrose and La Dame de Montrose (the lady of Montrose).
He is also offering these for sale, though at a much higher price.
”I would say that Chateau Montrose was one of the top 10 wines in the world,” he claimed.
”Unfortunately, it has a price tag to match at £80 but I think it’s worth every penny.
”La Dame de Montrose has a lovely name and it’s a bit cheaper at £30.
”I’ve had quite a few men from Angus buying a bottle for their partner’s Christmas.”
People looking to find out more or order wine can contact Graeme on gheth@ymail.com or call on 07909 228 613.